Roving comedy night in London

TONIGHT Comedy & Cabaret at The Green, Clerkenwell from 7pm

Tonight is the official launch of The Painted Grin at it’s new home, The Green in Clerkenwell. I’ve been away touring in Spain for the last 6 months. I left straight after The Painted Grin had a sell – out run (it was a free show so we didn’t really sell out just LOADS of people came to it and did loads of laughing at it) at the Edinburgh Fringe 2013. I am taking the show to the Edinburgh Fringe this year as well but before we do, i’m putting on a few nights in London.

The Green: Our new residence is upstairs at The Green in Clerkenwell which is a gorgeous rustic pub on the corner of Clerkenwell Green which sells real ales, scrumpy and serves a classic British menu, also it’s all very reasonably priced – this was one of the key factors in choosing the new venue for the night. We did a one off night there last year with Mock The Week’s Carl Donnelly and it went so well that Charles, the landlord – has asked us to come back.

The Painted Grin show:It is no longer just a night of stand – up comedy. If you haven’t already noticed, you can’t swing a cat around London without hitting a stand – up night which means it’s becoming harder to fill rooms with audience because it’s over saturated and invariably of poor quality which means less and less people are wanting to come to free stand up for fear of being made to sit endure shit comedy. I perform on various live circuits in London, in particular the stand up circuit and the cabaret circuit. I am reflecting my experience and taste in the new and improved Painted Grin.

Mr Laurence Owen

The Format: I’ve been to many nights that book both cabaret and stand up, but it’s hard to put Trixyface Le Fou Fou and Dave the builder on the same bill. This is a comedy and cabaret show with a difference. The host will be behind a desk like in an american chat show, there will be audience interaction, social media interactions and games, more gags than you can shake a stick at. AND there will be a ‘house band’ in the form of Musical Comedy Award finalist, composer and cabaret performer and cabaret grumpMr Laurence Owen .

The Acts: The prerequisite for the acts I book at The Painted Grin is they have to be funny (or at least intended to be funny, comedy is a subjective experience afterall)

so:

1) CABARET: No sexy without funny. I personally hate pretending to be sexy for people and more importantly I don’t like watching it. It’s not like the acts won’t be sexy, I mean confidence is a very sexy thing.

2) STAND UP I want to book stand up that is a little more than an act getting up on stage and telling gags that never happened, social minority based jokes without a good payoff, whilst wearing a polo shirt, and starting the set with ‘are we well?’ I am booking alternative stand up performers, storytellers, musicians, eccentric acts, prop acts, musical comedians, clowns. Acts who are taking the stand up form and trying to do something new with it.

Ohio born and raised comedian, ex military man, plaid shirt wearing, whiskey drinking, blues and jazz, handy man Luke Capasso. (Winner of the London Comedy Store’’s King Gong show, Joker of the Year, Finalist, So You Think You’re Funny New Act of the Year, Finalist)